Zion, Dear Zion

It wasn't until I left La-La Land this weekend that I realized how desperately I needed some nature time. It's been an extremely busy last couple of weeks, particularly with moving and unpacking (which still isn't done, btw).

My new friend, Amber, and I arrived in St. George late Friday afternoon, and since we were hours ahead of the SLC contingent, I took a lovely power nap. And then, we hopped in the car to pick up a pie in Veyo. This second pie was just as good as my first experience.

When the SLC crew arrived after a long drive on snow-covered roads, I realized how lonely I've been and how much I'm missed these people. I could feel my body relax for the first time in a while, knowing that I didn't have to try hard with these friends, I didn't have to engage in exhausting get-to-know-you conversation, and I could simply enjoy them. And I did until early in the morning.

Given that the weather was less than ideal for hiking up steep cliffs to amazing views of Zion, we opted for a more leisurely nature experience--doing those things that lazy American tourists do when they traverse through a national parks.

I've visited Zion in the late fall before, but this time around the trees were even more en fuego. I think I have more pictures of fall foliage than I do of anything else from this trip. I just could not get enough, wanting to breathe it all in and capture it for a repeat performance closer to home.

This leisurely ramble through Zion made it possible to enjoy some hot tub time back at the condo and a pretty stellar dinner at Xetava, which included some really good bread pudding and a drive to what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Sunday displayed rather dreary, cold weather, so we did the Mormon thing and toured the LDS historic sites of St. George: Brigham Young House, the Tabernacle, the Jacob Hamblin home. I admit to not knowing (or having heard of) Jacob Hamblin before, but I was particularly impressed by this man's faithful and honest life. I also want a room like the top floor in his house.

But we also saw some rather destroyed petroglyphs.

And then, the SLC crew headed home, while Amber and I headed over to Christasha's and we went for a drive into the desert.

And played a lot with this kid:

And aside from having to purchase brand-new tires for Beuls and sitting in a loooong traffic jam outside of Baker and returning with a cold, it really was one terrific weekend.

It needs to be repeated.